Saturday,
December 1, 2012 6:55AM … I boarded the first Burlington bound GO bus in St.
Catharines. Early morning pleasantries
were exchange with the young driver, a report, who was unfamiliar to me.

We left
the Fairview Mall stop promptly, as we did every other stop along the way. This driver’s timing was impeccable, like
he’d driven the route frequently. He had
no CAD/AVL to guide him — only a printed paddle sheet that was folded neatly
and hung over the left side of the dashboard.

When we
exited the QEW at Fairview St., I asked him, tongue in cheek, if he felt
honoured being the first bus into the North bus loop at Burlington station. Stopped at the Maple Ave. intersection, he
turned, gave me a quizzical look and stated there were no advisories regarding
Burlington in GO’s route information system, which he had checked the night
before. I told him I thought all
Hamilton drivers knew that the South bus loop would be closed from that day to the
following summer. That’s when he told me he was from the Oshawa
garage. Neither Operations nor the Hamilton
supervisor had updated him when he signed on for his shift. I chuckled and then proceeded to navigate him
along Brant St., Plains Rd. East, and onto Queensway Dr. Coincidently, that very same day, TCT published a story about passengers assisting drivers.

Fast-forward
to the present. December 1 marks the
fourth anniversary that Burlington GO station officially became a disaster zone
(IMO) — a disservice to fare paying passengers and frontline staff alike. Here is the current state of the South bus
loop.

To the
young driver I met four years ago — Sir Rodney of Brighton as we dubbed him on
Route 12 — I trust all is well with you.
It was a privilege to ride your bus that morning, and a couple of times
thereafter, too.

This is what I received today Dec. 2 2016, from GO customer service is response to my inquiry as to when is Burlington GO station ever going to be done:

"Thank you for your email about the construction project at the Burlington station.

We are grateful that you have chosen our service for your travelling needs and regret the inconveniences you have encountered as a result of the construction delay.

Although I'm unable to provide you with an exact date when the project will be completed it is reasonable to say that it will continue into 2017. However, as work continues we are committed to providing you with regular updates on the improvements we’re making.

We are conducting daily check-ins, progress reports, and regular site-visits to ensure that the contractor is building the station that meets our high standards for our valued customers.Access to west tunnel, west waiting area and washrooms are already open and temporary heating will be installed soon as we continue to finish the in-floor heating system.Increasing accessibility and providing more ways to get around the station are our priority of improvements to deliver to you. Next you’ll have the option of using a new elevator and east tunnel, meaning shorter walks from the south side. The roof work is also progressing well as we add water proofing and insulation.The ticket booth is almost ready. We are waiting on glass panels to be manufactured and delivered. Once installed, we can start the IT work required and open the ticket booth in the station building.We thank you for your continued support and thank you for your feedback.

Here's what I received today from GO Transit customer service. We're going into 2017 before it's done, if it is ever done. Unbelievable managerial incompetence by MetroLinx. Bondfield should have been fired two years ago and another contractor brought on.

"Dear Mr. Russ,

Thank you for your email about the construction project at the Burlington station.

We are grateful that you have chosen our service for your travelling needs and regret the inconveniences you have encountered as a result of the construction delay.

Although I'm unable to provide you with an exact date when the project will be completed it is reasonable to say that it will continue into 2017. However, as work continues we are committed to providing you with regular updates on the improvements we’re making.

We are conducting daily check-ins, progress reports, and regular site-visits to ensure that the contractor is building the station that meets our high standards for our valued customers.Access to west tunnel, west waiting area and washrooms are already open and temporary heating will be installed soon as we continue to finish the in-floor heating system.Increasing accessibility and providing more ways to get around the station are our priority of improvements to deliver to you. Next you’ll have the option of using a new elevator and east tunnel, meaning shorter walks from the south side. The roof work is also progressing well as we add water proofing and insulation.The ticket booth is almost ready. We are waiting on glass panels to be manufactured and delivered. Once installed, we can start the IT work required and open the ticket booth in the station building.We thank you for your continued support and thank you for your feedback.

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